27 January 1994 – Sherm Feller, who had served as Fenway Park’s public address announcer since the magical 1967 Impossible Dream season, dies of a heart attack one day after the Red Sox hire Dan Duquette to replace Lou Gorman as general manager. Feller was best known for his trademark statement made before the start of every Red Sox home game: “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… welcome to Fenway Park.” Prior to his stint as the voice of the Red Sox, Feller was a well-known area disc jockey on WEEI, host of the popular Club Midnight, and was privileged to acquaint himself with many mid-twentieth century artists and performers, including the likes of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Tommy Dorsey, and other well-known entertainers. He also wrote several songs, including the Top-40 hit “Summertime, Summertime” and “She Was Five And He Was Ten” (sung by then-wife Judy Valentine). However, it was in his role as Red Sox announcer that Feller became a Boston legend, well-liked not only by the club that he served but the people who came to Fenway Park every season for the 26 years that he served in that position. Even today, his voice and that trademark statement can still be heard before every Red Sox game broadcast on the New England Sports Network.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Sherm Feller

After 13 seasons with the Red Sox organization, free agent outfielder Trot Nixon, who was not offered arbitration by the team in December, signed a one-year deal worth $3 million to start fresh in Cleveland and will wear number 33 with the Indians. Drafted out of high school by the Red Sox in 1993, Nixon was known for his hard-nose style of play, noted by the batting helmet he often wore that was covered in dirt and pine tar; although not as flashy as some of his teammates, he earned the respect of the Boston faithful and the distinction of being one of the team’s original “Dirt Dogs.”

After two quick cups of coffee, his first full season with the Red Sox came in 1999; early on, it appeared as though he would return to the minors when he started out of the gate barely hitting above .100. However, he recovered well enough to finish with a .270 batting average, 15 home runs, and 52 RBI. In ten seasons with Boston, Nixon batted .278, hit 133 home runs, and drove in 523 runs while managing a .366 on-base percentage. He also became a master of Fenway’s often-tricky right field and managed a .984 fielding percentage in that position for most of his time in Boston.

Among his highlights with the Red Sox included a two-run home run in the top of the ninth at Yankee Stadium on 30 May 2000 in a duel between then-teammate Pedro Martinez and ex-Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens; those two runs were the difference in an eventual 2-0 win for Boston. He also drove home the final two runs for Boston in the deciding Game Four of the 2004 World Series on a two-out double off the right field wall at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in the top of the third inning to give Boston a 3-0 lead. Those also proved to be the last runs scored by either team in that game as the Red Sox swept the Cardinals for the team’s first championship title in 86 years. For the series, Nixon batted .357 and drove in three runs after spending most of the regular season nursing injuries.

With Boston expected to announce the signing of outfielder J.D. Drew in the near future, Nixon’s departure was not unexpected, given that he would likely end up sharing a bench role with Wily Mo Pena, eight years his junior and also seen as a back-up first baseman to Kevin Youkilis.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis, Trot Nixon, Wily Mo Pena

On Tuesday afternoon, the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce the results of the Baseball Writers of America Association (BBWAA) vote for the newest members to baseball’s shrine of immortals. Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken, Jr., both first-time candidates, are expected to receive better than the necessary 75 percent of the vote and there are legimate reasons for another first-timer, Mark McGwire, to earn enshrinement, depending on how the voters perceive whether allegations of illicit drug use are enough to keep him out of the hall, at least initially.

Another candidate, who will be making his 13th appearance on the ballot, is Jim Rice, who last year earned nearly 65 percent of the vote and has picked up steam in recent years, in large part thanks to campaigning by the Red Sox organization as well as the undeniable fact that, between 1975 and 1986, he was the most feared hitter in baseball. In that stretch, he averaged .304 with 29 home runs and 106 RBI each season, responsible enough for him to earn eight All-Star nods. He also finished in the top five of the MVP vote six times during that stretch, winning his only award in 1978 when he stroked 46 home runs, led the league with 139 RBI, and batted .315, just twenty points behind league-leader Rod Carew. He also collected an amazing 406 total bases that season, the first to have 400 or more total bases in a single season since Hank Aaron in 1959 and a feat that’s been matched since only six times. Among his other distinctions during that stretch was winning the home run title three times (1977, 1978, and 1983) and having the highest RBI total twice (1978 and 1983).

Perhaps what has held him back for so many years is the fact that Rice is just shy of some of the “magic numbers” needed for automatic consideration; he finished 18 home runs shy of the 400 mark and two points shy of a .300 batting average, and he was just a few dominant seasons short of reaching 3,000 hits. As dominant as he was for those twelve seasons, injuries slowed him down over his final three seasons from 1987 through 1989, in which hit just 58 home runs and averaged just .263.

However, talk with anyone who played for Boston in that stretch, or speak to any pitcher who had to face Rice at his best, and the response is consistent: he was a force at the plate and a leader in the clubhouse. Though election this year will probably not happen due to a strong class of first-timers, chances are very good that his plaque will be hanging in the same hall along with other Red Sox greats like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and Carlton Fisk. Soon after, it would not be surprising to see his old number 14 hanging on the right field façade, which has not been worn since by another Red Sox player.

Tags: Boston Red Sox, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Ted Williams